Champions League and Europa League 2017 Semi-Finals Betting Odds

We’ve well and truly reached the business end of Europe’s club competitions, as we’re previewing four tasty semi-finals.

Rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid meet at the Bernabeu Stadium on Tuesday to get the UEFA Champions League semi-finals up and running. The following day, Juventus make the trip to the Stade Louis II to face Monaco.

In the UEFA Europa League, Ajax and Lyon square off in Amsterdam on Wednesday, whilst Manchester United travel to Spain to play Celta Vigo on Thursday.

The standout semi-final is the Madrid derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. After losing in the Champions League final to Real in two of the last three seasons, can Diego Simeone’s Atletico see off their rivals this year? Unfortunately for Los Rojiblancos, Zinedine Zidane’s men are not an easy nut to crack on their own patch.

Last Sunday’s defeat to Barcelona was their first home league loss of the season. Despite Barca clawing back three big points, Real are still in pole position to claim their first La Liga title since 2012. As for Atletico, Tuesday’s 1-0 home loss to Villarreal has seen them drop 10 points off the pace.

Los Blancos managed to see off Bayern Munich after extra time in the quarters. Meanwhile, Simeone’s side got the better of Premier League champions Leicester City.

As expected, the hosts are the 5/6 favourites with Sporting Bet to take a first leg advantage. As for the visitors, you can get Atleti at 17/5 with BetVictor to cause an upset at the Bernabeu, with the draw coming in at 14/5 (Sporting Bet).

We can see Real winning well on their own patch. Like we said, Zidane’s troops are strong on home turf, and will be hoping to take a handsome lead to the Vicente Calderon. Coral’s 12/5 for Los Merengues to win -1 looks a decent bet, with 3-1 our correct score prediction.

The other Champions League semi-final also looks a tasty tie, as Monaco welcome Juventus to the Stade Louis II. Both Juve and Monaco have done extremely well to reach the last four, but which one of these will play a team from Madrid in next month’s final in the Welsh capital?

The Ligue 1 outfit have seen off the likes of Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund in the knockouts to make it to the semis – Monaco also beat Tottenham Hotspur home and away during the group stage. As for the Old Lady, they famously beat the mighty Barcelona 3-0 at the Juventus Stadium in the previous round, before earning an excellent 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou to progress.

This is a tough match to call, especially with the first leg being in Monaco. Leonardo Jardim’s side have lost just once on home soil in all competitions this season. Meanwhile, the 2015 CL runners-up have won 14 of their 22 away league and cup fixtures so far.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side are the slight favourites with the bookies, with Sporting Bet offering the tempting price of 11/8. As for the hosts, they are available at 21/10 with Betway in our odds comparison.

However, we’re backing this one to end all square in France, leaving the second leg delicately poised in Turin. Ladbrokes are offering 12/5 for the pair to cancel each other out.

Moving on to the Europa League, Peter Bosz’s Ajax host Bruno Genesio’s Lyon at the Amsterdam Arena in the first semi-final on Wednesday night. These two last met at the group stage of the Champions League back in 2011, with both games ending in 0-0 draws. Lyon have never beaten Ajax in a competitive match.

Looking at the live odds comparison, the bookies have the home side as their slight favourites to seal the win on Wednesday. Betfair are offering 13/10 for Ajax to come out on top. Lyon, meanwhile, are available at 19/10 (William Hill) to claim a priceless first leg victory.

The Dutch outfit are currently second in the Eredivisie table, four points adrift of Feyenoord. Their title aspirations were dealt a huge blow last weekend, as Bosz’s boys fell to a 1-0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven.

As for Lyon, they sit fifth in Ligue 1 at present, a whopping 26 points off leaders Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain. Therefore, their best hope of reaching the Champions League for next season is winning the Europa League.

We’re struggling to split these two and predict the draw could be the way to go in this one. BetVictor have the stalemate priced generously at best betting odds of 13/5.

Last up, we take a look at how Manchester United will fare at Celta Vigo on Thursday. Jose Mourinho takes his United side to Balaidos looking for a first leg win. However, on their day, Eduardo Berrizo’s men are capable of beating anyone. We should be in for two fierce games between the duo.

Before a ball has been kicked in the semis, United are the bookies’ favourites to win the Europa League outright. They are also favourites to leave Spain with a victory on Thursday, with Coral offering odds of 11/8. The Red Devils, who are still hunting down a top four spot in the Premier League, will see winning this tournament as their best chance of securing Champions League football for next year.

As for Celta, they have had a poor season in La Liga, as they lie 11th in the table with just a handful of games to go. The Celts head into this one having lost four of their last five league matches. Sporting Bet have the best odds on a home win, pricing Celta at 9/4. Meanwhile, the draw is available at 12/5 with the same firm.

However, we can’t see United having any problems whatsoever at Balaidos. We actually think it will be a comfortable night for the Premier League outfit. Coral’s 21/5 for the away team to win -1 is a standout bet.